Posted on 04/14/2010 10:55:18 PM PDT by Uncle Miltie
KABUL — U.S. troops are pulling out of Afghanistan's perilous Korengal Valley as part of a new focus on protecting population centers, NATO said Wednesday, ending a mission that saw some of the most intense fighting of the nearly nine-year American presence in the country.
The isolated mountainous region of caves and canyons on the eastern border with Pakistan has been the scene of near daily exchanges of fire between NATO and insurgents, who use it as a route for infiltrating weapons and fighters into Afghanistan.
While militants will likely portray the withdrawal as a defeat for foreign forces in Afghanistan, NATO termed the move a "realignment" resulting from changing strategies to deal with a Taliban-led insurgency that has strengthened and gripped once stable parts of the country.
The shift reflects new thinking among commanders that forces are best used to protect the civilian population rather than placed in scattered outposts highly exposed to militant activity and difficult to resupply and reinforce.
"This repositioning, in partnership with the Afghan National Security Forces, responds to the requirements of the new population-centric counterinsurgency strategy," Lt. Gen. David M. Rodriguez, joint commander of international forces in Afghanistan, said in a statement e-mailed to media. "The move does not prevent forces from rapidly responding, as necessary, to crises there in Korengal and in other parts of the region, as well."
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Maybe that extra 10,000 troops that obama cut from his commanders’ request, would have been useful after all
Maybe Joe can pull the troops together and help them “win this war”.
What a mess.
To be fair, it worked pretty well in Iraq.
It is a start that would have to be seen through for the next 30 yrs. You are dealing with a population that is 90% illiterate, they are tribal and the tribes bow to the war lords. What you are talking about is changing their entire culture, that would take generations.
As for pulling out and focusing on the cities, I am not in the military but it would seem that the Taliban would now own all in routes to the cities. We will be trying to defend the population while giving the Taliban all the area surrounding them. And then by the time they get to the cities the ROE pretty much prevent them from firing at them due to the civilian population.
IMHO, Pakistan could not play GWB like they can Obama. I’m not saying that is necessarily bad but I would not trust Pakistan as far as I could throw them. I also think that is just one of the things that has Karzai all worked up.
I have followed that capture of the Taliban leader that Pakistan caught and while the MSM made it out to be second to capturing Bin Laden, there was a lot of skepticism. IMHO, Obama has some backdoor deal with Pakistan with regard to Afghanistan........and remember he has ties to Pakistan already.
Afghanistan and Iraq are like two different planets. Iraq at a time was modern/educated....Afghanistan.....think the beginning of time, less the dinosaurs.
I guess this is what happens when you ask for a surge and only get a spurt.
This is a mistake -
Oh, I know, I’m in Afghanistan as I type this. You’re right that they’re very different (though I would argue the “modern/educated” thing with regards to Iraq, but I digress), but population centers are population centers and if you can win over 80% of the people by concentrating on those centers, then it removes your need to scatter all over the place.
However, one thing we did NOT have in Iraq during the Surge was this RIDICULOUS RoE. That, more than anything else, will ensure a long, drawn-out fight, if not utter failure. We’re either allowed to shoot bad guys or we’re not. Here, looks like we’re not.
I agree with you about the ROE, it is scary! My son leaves for Ft. Benning in 10 days :) 11 Bravo...my brother was in Afghanistan at the beginning, he is now a security contractor in Baghdad....Lots of boys I watched playing t-ball-HS are over there now. I pray for yall every day....stay safe!
Very cool about your son. I, too, went through the “Benning School For Boys” about 12 years ago. It’ll be quite a ride for him! I hope you’re planning on attending his graduation.
Of course I am!!! Ft. Benning is only 2 hrs. from home! He would leave tomorrow if he could, he can’t wait.
Even though it is close, I would crawl over broken glass to attend, no matter where it was.
“The Americans may have the watches but we have the time” -Taliban Axiom
Just you watch sometime in the next 5 years we will start to see rationalizations for talks with the Taliban to include them in some kind power sharing with the Kabul based government.
Well, that’s great. He’ll very much appreciate seeing you there, believe me!
Is this what the conservative suckers who supported Obama’s Afghan escalation have to show for it?
It was a surge not a “spurt” which was much praised by the neo-con fans of Obama’s Afghan policy when they helped persuade conservatives to back this. The problem is (as the Soviets discovered) that endless surges in Afghanistan do little good.
It was less than what was asked for, much less that what was needed and thus, by comparison, a spurt.
Ah...yes, the liberal argument. If a policy fails, it was only because government did not spend enough! I suspect that if "we" had sent in 100K more into the Afghan rathole, and that too failed, apologists for escalation would have called that a spurt too. Its never enough. The trouble is that the taxpayers are broke and can't afford any more escalations.
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